Libya to reimburse private hospitals $250 million in medical bills

AMMAN — The Libyan government will reimburse the Private Hospital Association (PHA) $250 million for medical services received by Libyans in Jordan, according to President of the PHA Fawzi Hammouri.

Hammouri noted in comments made to The Jordan Times last year that medical bills accumulated by Libyans in the Kingdom had reached nearly $350 million after the Libyan Civil War had broken out in 2011. 

Different non-profit organisations and international councils offer varying numbers of deaths and injuries caused by the war, but the estimates range from 2,000 to 25,000, depending on the source.

The medical bills, which were accumulated by Libyans at 30 different private Jordanian hospitals, have been the subject of continuous negotiations between the PHA and the Libyan government since 2013.

“The presence of two Libyan governments has made negotiations difficult and slow-paced. Moreover, the medical bills needed to be finalised and audited, so that contributed to the delayed agreement as well,” said Hammouri.

A number of delegations, representing several Libyan bodies, were sent to Jordan to discuss the matter. The agreement comes seven years after the start of the conflict.

The debts will be paid back in three phases, $125 million in December, $62.5 million in February and the remaining $62.5 million in April.

With the more recent 2014 Libyan Civil War, and the still-tense situation in Libya, Hammouri told The Jordan Times in remarks last year that “Libyans had expressed their willingness to pay the previous dues of their patients to resume the entry of more patients to Jordan”.